Applying adhesive to precise locations on surfaces often requires an on/off control of the fluid. Currently, to precisely control fluid, one or more component dispensing valves are located before a mixing element and a dispense nozzle, but the dispensing valves cannot start and stop a flow of the fluid precisely enough to create very discrete starts and stops when dispensing small beads of one or more component adhesives onto a surface. Moreover, common dispensing nozzles often need to be cleaned after one or more dispensing cycles. Many times the dispensing nozzles have some adhesive residue on an outlet of the dispensing nozzles which can cause blockage or an imperfect dispense profile. Attempts to remove this blockage include dipping the nozzle into solvents, manual wiping of the nozzle, or even manual replacement of the dispensing nozzle after a dispensing cycle.
Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for an adhesive dispensing assembly having precise on/off fluid flow control with the ability to clean the dispensing nozzle without operator intervention.